Shine Technologies pivots to become an opt-in consumer service called Rainbow and launches first ad campaign

In what amounts to one of the more major pivots in the digital sector, Shine Technologies – a company entrenched in the ongoing adblocking debate – is to rebrand as Rainbow. It will cease its carte blanche adblocking services to mobile operators and begin generating revenue from the media industry, as it moves offer “a better ad experience for consumers”.

Billing itself “the guardian of the consumer experience”, Rainbow will offer those in the media business access to its “insights platform”, which they can then use to receive “creative verification” – a seal of approval that lets them bypass Rainbow’s filter system on cellular networks.

It’s a model the company has been working on with input from other players in the advertising industry including: the IAB’s UK arm; existing telco partner Three; the Mobile Marketing Association, as well as a number of media owners and network agencies.

This has been made possible by the company's latest round of funding ("several millions" from existing backers), and to announce this new consumer offering Rainbow will additionally embark upon a marketing campaign of its own.

Here, the narrative centers upon some of the more controversial elements of online behavioral ad targeting, with the brand preaching consumer control (see video at top of screen).

Consumers will be able to opt-in to the Rainbow offering by asking their mobile operator or ISP to turn it for them, which the Israel-based outfit claims will act as a “digital bill of rights” and provide them with “a better, cleaner, safer, more respectful ad experience.”

Ads submitted for the Rainbow experience will have to adhere already-established industry standards – such as the IAB’s LEAN principles, as well as those enshrined in the Coalition for Better Ads – with Shine’s network level technology used to vet said creative. Rainbow is adamant that it is not now an ad network, or adtech outfit, rather it is positioning itself as “a consumer experience company” (see below for the Rainbow business model).

Rainbow's staff told The Drum there will be two business models available to perspective customers with the outfit effectively launching an enterprise data licensing model available to advertisers, plus an additional one that will provide attributes to publishers.

Additionally, the service is aimed at helping telcos generate revenues from mobile advertising, but they stopped short of saying it would lead to the return of telco-owned ad networks.

Rainbow's staff claim the service will limit the amount of tracking pixels firing on their devices and the ad campaigns are clearly geared towards articulating this to consumers, but the sell will likely be a difficult one to advertisers.